


It’s Not That Complicated.

by NerdyTeddy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: ?? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - British, Bullying, But he won't say that out loud, Eren blushes a lot, Eren is a Genius, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) is a Softie, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Siblings, Minor Violence, Oblivious Eren Yeager, Secondary school AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-05-31 01:43:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6450370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyTeddy/pseuds/NerdyTeddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
    After years of bullying, Eren's extraordinary light has started to dim. One of the brightest minds of his generation hidden by a thin veil of low self
    esteem. Can a well-needed change in circumstance help him to re-kindle his great potential, or will he need it forced out of him? One way or another, he’s
    going to come out to shine- whether he likes it or not.
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Herculean Brain of a Five-Year-Old.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is the new story, and I hope you'll like it!  
> Now that I have a solid plotline, there will be a few different things, like where the story begins, but we'll see where the story takes us.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> P.S, Big thanks to my Beta A26 (on here, on tumblr as agent-2-6) because she helped me thicken my plot and etc. Thanks! ILY♡

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Each of us is a book waiting to be written, and that book, if written, results in a person explained.”  
> ― Thomas M. Cirignano, The Constant Outsider 
> 
>  
> 
> Eren’s a little different, but that’s OK. He has a platonic soul mate, but no one knows how long that’ll last.

Let’s start off from the beginning. Before his descent into the black abyss that was calling his name from the very start. Before he felt his walls  
crumbling down around him, while they picked and nicked and poked and prodded until his protection wasn’t what it was supposed to be. He tried to build  
them again, but what use was that while they continued to tear at the fresh wounds?

He was five. Young, fresh, and curious; like every other five year old on the planet we live on. However, Eren was slightly different. His parents knew this, but they couldn’t tell how. They just knew he was a slight contrast to the rest of the children his age. They wouldn’t be able to tell for at least another year or two, but the buds were definitely sprouting. And oh, were they beautiful. 

Eren was intelligent, very much so, and he used every piece of his intelligence and massive memory bank to store as much knowledge as he could from young. He read from dawn to dusk, studied instead of going outside to play in the dirt and sand like the other five year olds. His parents loved it, thought they were graced with a quiet child but little did they know the bright brain that was hidden in the developing skull of their child. It was so bright, it shone through the glittering and priceless jewels they called irises in his eyes. His mother claimed that she could see the secrets of the universe in them, and it made him feel a little more proud every time she did. 

He loved his mother and father dearly. And they loved him too. 

His mother spent as much time as she could, reading books to him before he fell asleep, explaining new things and speaking to him in different languages. He soaked them up like a sponge, the information being absorbed as easily as water; yet the sponge never overflowed- never stopped pulling in the water as if it was severely dehydrated. Like a cactus in the desert, it stored the information for a later date and Carla loved how much her son adored learning. 

What more could a parent want? 

His father was even more ecstatic about it. Being a man of science and knowledge, he told his son as much as his small five year old brain could handle (which was a lot more than he expected). Add on the fact that Eren loved learning about the human body, and you have a very happy couple of parents willing to show their child the world. 

Despite preferring to learn instead of going outside to play, he did have one friend who enjoyed his pastimes as much as he did. He didn’t remember the boy’s name (he was pretty sure it was a boy), but he remembered how much fun they used to have. They shared a favourite book about the ocean. He remembered the colourful drawings of the white sand that looked as soft as flour. He remembered the ocean, which shone a similar colour to his eyes as other people claimed. The water had looked so warm, so inviting, he was almost disappointed (who was he kidding? He was completely disappointed) when he saw his own British beach at home. Their parents (both his and the little boy’s) brought them to a weekend at the beach during their fifth summer. The boys stood in front of the dark and murky blue waters, staring at it in confusion. 

Where was the warm summer’s breeze that was supposed to carry the salty smell of the ocean? Where were the beautiful sea birds- swooping around looking majestic? All he could smell was the slight stench of cigarettes and chips being made by the pier. It didn’t help that the wind was threatening to lift him off his feet. 

“Wasn’t the sea supposed to be lighter than this?” Eren asked, his young voice barely making it to his parents ears over the loud crashes of the waves. 

“Yes, in hotter countries. Over here, it’s not warm enough for the sea to look like that.” Carla, Eren’s mother answered. Her eyes crinkled in the corners, with some emotion Eren didn’t know until later as ‘fondness’. 

“Maybe when you’re older, we’ll take you two on another trip to the Caribbean. You two would love it there.” Grisha added, walking over to link his hands with his wife as he smiled over at the two boys. 

Eren and his friend looked at each other, and Eren can distinctly remember the cornflower blue eyes that stared deep into him. As if they were analysing him from inside out. They shone with the brilliance of the skies, clear as day and always calmed Eren down when they sparkled in the (admittedly dim) sunlight. 

They grinned in synchronisation, before turning to their parents and nodding their heads vigorously. 

They liked that idea. 

Although Eren couldn’t recall the boy’s name, this friend of his definitely held a significant place in his heart. A lot of his early memories were with him, like when they went to their first library together. The books were everywhere, every one of them having their own topic and research put into them, some dating as old as the eighteenth century. They took their time going through each book, saving the best for last on their list. Eventually, the library owner learnt their names off by heart and didn’t even bother to ask them to write their names down if they took a book home. They knew that they would receive the book again the next day. 

They visited the library often enough for the library owner to know that. Even until this day, the library was still a favourite place of his. It never failed to calm him down when he needed it most. 

One of Eren’s favourite types of books was the ones where he was constantly learning new things from it. Whether it was astrology or biology; Law to Mathematics, he couldn’t put the book down if it was teaching him new things. The books he used to read back then were not as complicated as the ones he read now, but they were still more advanced than the stuff other children were reading. Both he and his friend were ahead of their class but they didn’t mind. His childhood friend still called him a bookworm, and he just smiled and laughed it off. He used to reply with “ _Tis your own dirty image you see; for I am so clean – without blemish or blot – That your blackness is mirrored in me_.” 

His young tongue couldn’t form the words as clear as he would’ve liked, but they both knew where the phrase had come from and therefore the joke still ran for as long as he was called Bookworm. 

(He secretly liked that nickname. Soon, he began to answer to it whenever his friend called for him. It was their little way of keeping intimate and close.) 

His friend adored books about nature though, which is how they came to love the sea. His friend always carried nature books on him, and even got Eren hooked on little programs like “ _Crocodile Hunter_ ” and “ _March of the Penguins_ ”. He remembered sitting in the sofa, huddling close with a bunch of cushions and blankets covering their small wriggling bodies while they sat and watched the small penguins waddle across their screen in bright, attractive colours. 

Or another in memory, where they would both lie in the park during the warmer springs; both of them had Hay fever, but they dutifully took their medication and headed out in the pollen filled field when they could. The flowers sprouting beside them, and the grass covered in dew drops from the rain that happened each night created a pretty and serene sight; it was calming for the two of them. Their parents, (especially their mothers) would get mad every time, telling them the dangers that they would catch a cold if they continued doing that. His friend would apologise with a grin in place while Eren would let it fly through one ear and float out the other. Completely memorised but never taken in and understood. 

Or _even another_ memory, where they’re both on one of their beds (he couldn’t tell whose) and they were sitting so close, their knees knocked against each other whenever one of the boys moved. Neither of them minded though. During these times, they’d have heated discussions, talking animatedly about one thing or another. Sometimes it was about what happened during school that day, or something they had seen while watching TV or reading a book. They never had one boring day together. He could even remember when they used to lean forward and he used to be able to reach out and tickle the other relentlessly; or when they would flop backwards side by side, connected at the shoulders. 

He remembers the way how his friend’s hair would tickle his ear and shoulder while they lay like this, but he couldn’t remember their face whenever he tried to drag it out from the black holes in his mind. He knows his memory is amazing, so why couldn’t he remember the important things? 

It’s weird how he could remember the smallest details. 

He could remember the way how his friend would giggle every time he snorted when they laughed, he could remember the sound of his friend calling his name. It was a high pitched one, but always clear and _always_ happy. The voice was always cheerful and urgent, always calling his name whenever they had found something new. 

Until one day, when it was dull and dreary. 

He can’t remember their last encounter clearly at all, but for that he was glad. It was all tears and snot, all promises to keep in touch, yet; where did those promises go? He remembers hearing his own voice, as if it was from a third persons view, pleading his friend to stay. His friend clung on just as hard, and it took both their parents pulling and cajoling for them to separate. But no amount of bribing could keep them from linking their fingers together in a promise. Eren can still feel the slightly moist from sweat, pinkie-finger wrapping around his own chubbier one. He can still see the contrast in his best friend’s milky pale hand against his much more tanned and caramel complexion. 

Yet those words, those important... _dear_ words that they had uttered to one another were faded in his mind. But as he said- maybe that was for the best. 

Up until this day, all Eren knew was that- that childhood friend had moved away and left him. He couldn’t remember the reason why and couldn’t remember their face. 

_Why couldn’t he remember their face?_

Sometimes, Eren can still hear that voice in his head, calling out to him for them to read another book... 

But that’s all in the past now. 

He knows they had kept their promises to one another for a while. Maybe a year or two but they lost contact. Maybe the boy had moved again, or maybe Eren had intentionally lost contact. Was that when he cut of contact? No, that would be too early. 

But Eren’s pretty sure, if he had to consider anyone a friend; it would’ve been that boy. The one, singular person (except for the obvious people who had to love him) who took him for him and accepted Eren’s all. Never once did he decline the whole package even including Eren’s intelligence. In fact, the boy rivalled his intelligence with his own. Later on, Eren would call them platonic soul mates. 

And up until this day, the only thing he regrets is letting his best friend slide through his fingers so easily. Maybe if he hadn’t, maybe his life would’ve turned out differently. Maybe he could’ve been happier, or maybe the complete opposite. No one knows what would’ve happened except god. 

If God even existed. 

His mother thought he did. His mother spent a lot of time praying, for him and his father and other family members. She prayed in the morning when she woke up, and in the evening before she went to bed. She always told him that he didn’t need to be religious if he didn’t want to be, but the thought comforted him. Sometimes when he felt scared, a little after this mysterious boy had left his life; he could recall himself praying in his bed for protection and the hopes that one day his friend would return. 

Because who could’ve known the turn his life took next? It wasn’t a large turn, quite small actually... but it was the turning point. After it, nothing was the same and Eren could tell. 

He was around what... Eight? But he could still tell that things were changing in his life. His friend had left when he was still seven but he was eight when the first crack in his wall appeared; when everything about him finally fell into place and why he was so different from every else his age. It fell like dominoes and Eren began to wonder why he didn’t see something like this sooner, because it was pretty obvious now that he looks back on it. Or well, when he looked back from that age. 

His mother would claim, “it’s not you honey... they just don’t know”. But Eren knew, and he assumed that’s why it happened. After all, why else would it happen? 

**TBC**


	2. Intelligence Doesn’t Come with Wisdom.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.”  
> ―
> 
> [Michael J. Fox](http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/77162.Michael_J_Fox)  
>   
>   
> The beginning ofhell, the beginning of his breakdown.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for minor violence(??) I added the tag just in case but yeah, there's a little bit of pushing in the chapter. Nothing too big.

The first crack in his wall wasn’t as bad as it sounds. But it was bad enough for it to cause damage to the little boy’s self-esteem. His friend had left for a few months now, but Eren was okay. Well, at least he was trying to be okay. He knew there was something wasn’t quite the same because he kept turning around to show his friend something new, but once he saw the empty space, he felt nothing but a pang of disappointment in his heart, making his chest ache. 

_Making him feel lonely…_

His mother, easily spotting her son’s dismay, suggested he try and make more friends, try and fill the empty gap that was left, so he did. He met a boy called Richard. 

They met in the park one day after school because Eren reached out and spoke to the people in his class. Normally after school, he’d go straight home but with his mother’s words whispering in his ears as if she was right there, it was hard not to follow them. So he did, and he walked straight up to the little boy with the coffee brown hair and large pale blue irises, that reminded him slightly of his best friend. It was a biased pick, and Eren wasn’t going to deny it. 

But it was the worst choice of his life. 

That aside, the friendship had started out great. Wonderful to be completely honest, but it was the small things that picked at the sides. Eren had to play outside for a while, to a point where his caramel skin darkened to a deep toffee colour. It was fun while it lasted, but eventually Eren started reading more books again. Playing outside wasn’t one of his main interests. It was nice because it was different - kept his mind off the person who was probably across the country doing who knew what. But, eventually, it got boring. 

So he changed tactics. He started to involve them in his own fun pastimes. 

He wanted to show his new friends, and show them the wonders of knowledge - which they took in eagerly at first. They would follow him like ducklings to the library (which shocked the old librarian, because this was the first time Eren had hung out with someone else other than the cornflower blue-eyed friend) and they would talk to him about the animal shows that he introduced to them. But, just like Eren, they eventually lost interest in that as well. 

It didn’t bother Eren, not at first. He thought that it was okay, as long as they kept being his friend - which they did. 

He still talked to them about small details of things that interested him and they still played outside in the dirt and gloated about who had won the race last Saturday. It was fine. 

But… eventually, everything changed. Nothing stayed the same. Eren had learnt that from a young age and it still haunts him in the back of his mind up until today. 

It was small things, like, never allowing him to finish what he was trying to say or neglecting to tell him about what happened last recess. Eren still brushed off his shoulders and continued on like normal. 

He wasn’t stupid; he could tell there was a shift in their attitude. But he ignored it and waited to see if it was just a phase. _‘Maybe they were sulking about something, they’ll get over it’_ he said to himself. The small things kept continuing, and soon enough they just got worse. 

They started to ignore him. They acted like he wasn’t even there, standing right next to them. He knew they could hear him, they could see him, but they pretended like they couldn’t even feel his presence. Feeling deeply saddened by the rejection, Eren’s anger began to boil into a form of protection, so he called them out. 

He’d never been good at holding his anger back anyway. 

It started off on a Thursday in spring during his fourth year in primary school, either March or early April. The group of boys were huddled in thick jumpers but they didn’t feel the need for jackets. They were playing football, kicking the ball over the concrete until Eren called out for their attention. 

“What’s your problem?” He asked, his small teeth gritting in irritation as he watched them kick the ball around in the playground. 

Richard lifted his head involuntarily before dropping his gaze down to the football by his foot. He ignored him, _again._

Eren stormed up to him, picked up the football in his small, soft hands and glared up at the slightly taller boy. Richard‘s eyebrows pulled into a little bunch, causing the skin to create a crease between them. “Can I have the ball back?” 

Eren felt his face reflect the look on Richard’s. He stepped away from him with the ball clenched in his two hands. The texture of the ball was rough since it was quite old, and the black and white cover was peeling off in some places. His mother would be angry if she saw the dirty ball in his hands like this so he made sure to keep the dirty ball from touching his cream sweater. Still, he kept it close enough to his body, ready to leap away if Richard reached for it. 

“No, not until you tell me why you’re ignoring me. What did I do?” Eren pressed, his eyes squinting against the glare of the sun. 

“You didn’t do anything.” The boy crossed his arms, shifting his gaze to another friend of his. They all groaned when they saw that this conversation wasn’t going to finish any time soon. 

“Oh come on Eren! Hurry up and go away so we can finish our football game!” One of them whined from behind the boy, and others agreed loudly. Eren could feel their annoyance and it upset him, but he ignored them, not even turning his head to their direction. He kept his steady gaze on the boy in front of him. 

“Yeah, Eren, just give me back the ball. We can talk about this later.” Richard claimed, moving forward to hopefully grab the ball from Eren’s clutches, but the smaller boy stepped back. 

“No! It’s not fair. You’re being mean and I haven’t done anything to you!” He raised his voice in frustration, feeling his grip tighten on the ball. The irritation bubbled up inside of him and he felt the tears begin to swell in his eyes. He refused to cry though, begging that if he kept his eyes open long enough, and calmed down; they would go away on their own. 

He hated when he got like this, almost made him feel weak. But enough of that, he had to deal with Richard so they can be friends again. 

Richard grumbled, and crossed his arms. He looked Eren straight in the eye and said,  
“You’re weird.” 

“…What?” The smaller boy blinked, a whole new emotion swooping him from his feet. His neck craned backwards as his head tilted back in confusion. 

“You’re strange. You talk a lot of weird stuff that doesn’t make sense to us. So that means you’re weird.” He continued, nonchalant. Eren, on the other hand, was completely speechless; his mouth gaped open like a fish. 

“Because I talk about things… That is weird… _I’m_ weird?” He repeated incredulously, the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. It was pretty funny hearing it phrased like that at the time. 

“Yes. You’re too smart, like a nerd. It’s weird. You like staying inside, like a girl. It’s weird. You’re not very boyish. Or cool, Y’know.” The taller boy listed the things off on his fingers, each one causing a twitch in Eren’s left eye, each remark stabbing him like a knife. 

“How am I not cool because I like staying inside?” Eren asked, simply because he was confused. 

“Cool boys like to play outside, you don’t. You don’t like to get dirty, so that means you’re not like a boy. Nah, you’re like a nerdy girl.” Richard grinned, he felt like he had the upper hand for knowing something that Eren didn’t. Eren was too smart for his own good. 

Eren’s eyebrows scrunched together again, but this time it wasn’t out of frustration. He didn’t feel like it was much of an offence to him, but it didn’t feel right. But he didn’t understand why, and that made him uncomfortable. It wasn’t anger bubbling up in his throat any more. It felt heavier, as if it was dragging his breath away from him. 

“So, what does that mean? You don’t want to hang out with me because I don’t want to play outside with you?” Eren asked, watching his hands shake subtly on the surface of the ball. He didn’t quite understand why he suddenly felt sick and hoped that it would die down soon. 

“No. So, we’re not going to be your friend anymore. We don’t hang out with geeks. So give us back the ball, weirdo.” Richard proclaimed, putting a hand out towards the smaller boy. He was expecting Eren to just roll over and listen to him. That relit the anger that was dying out, so Eren did what he thought was best. 

In a brief moment of precise calculation, he thrust the ball straight at Richards head, knowing it would smack him right in the nose. 

Richard cried out in pain, clutching his nose as the crimson substance poured from his nostrils. Eren choked on air, clearly in shock. He stepped back in small, stuttering steps until he turned around fully and sprinted in the opposite direction. He knew some of the boys were going to follow him, so he ran as fast as he could. Richard was shouting, so he knew he was right. 

He could already hear the angry shouts and stomps of… three boys following him. The rest had stayed with Richard. Good, he could outsmart three boys. Twisting on one foot, Eren sprinted into the school corridor before slowing down into a brisk walk - no running in the corridor rule. 

The boys caught up, and burst through the door behind him. Just in time for a teacher from another class to slip through the doors at the opposite end of the corridor. The teacher was carrying a few books Eren identified as the English reading books that the teachers used for one-on-one reading lessons. As the teacher heard the furious stomping down the hall, she looked up and saw one of the boys just reach Eren in time to shove the small boy unceremoniously onto the floor. They had used all their momentum from their running to crash into him, Eren went flying. 

Eren fell onto his hands and knees, feeling them drag painfully against the floor underneath him. He knew they weren’t cut, but the friction against them still stung. He looked up to see the teacher screaming at the boys to stop, getting to Eren in time before the boys could do any more damage. She pulled him onto his feet, patting his hands and knees down (and generally just fluttering around him in worry) as she shouted at the boys to stay where they were. 

She called for another teacher, and soon more teachers had walked around the corner to see the commotion. During all of this, Eren took the time to turn around and see the other boys reaction to this, but he flinched backwards. They were glaring at him, _hard_. Something clicked in his brain then and there, telling him that things were going to go downhill from this incident. 

He’d just outsmarted them, landing himself new enemies. 

Eventually the teachers had spoken to them all. Eren had gotten off the lightest, despite having technically started the fight. He spoke the truth and the teachers trusted him because he had never gotten into a fight before this. Richard took this as a personal declaration of war (since he got in the most trouble for sending the boys to fight Eren), and just like his gut feeling had said, everything went wrong from there. 

Richard did everything he could to make Eren’s life a living hell. Eren didn’t stop fighting straight away, no. He fought like a bull, tearing Richard’s plans up as soon as he could, but there’s only so much you could take. Only so much could be taken until you were left as an empty husk of what you used to be. 

Sometimes when he looked back on that moment, he thought to himself _‘maybe it was my fault, on top of the fact that I’m too smart, too nerdy… too **weird** to be any good, I did hurt Richard first’_.  
Because of that, even though his dislike for Richard still burned deep in his belly, another part of him felt that it was justified. He wasn’t any good for anything anyway. 

This moment in his life showed Eren that he wasn’t made to have any other friends, but it didn’t stop him from trying. 

Not for a little while, at least. 

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter whoo! I had this written for a while, but I never got around to posting it until now. Stupid, busy life. *Sigh*  
> Anywhoo! This had a better reaction than I expected, and I had no idea so many people liked the previous one. I was shocked to be honest. I hope you guys enjoy it though, haha.


	3. The Bruises Spread like Ink on Cartridge Paper.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “People who love themselves, don’t hurt other people. The more we hate ourselves, the more we want others to suffer.”  
> ― Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
> 
>  
> 
> Carla Grisha finds out about what’s happening at school, while Eren continues to fight by himself.

It was after his twelfth birthday when Eren’s parents got their first call from school. The teacher spoke to Carla, explaining how worried she was of Eren. Eren was walking into class at awkward times, often wearing blue and black bruises from his ‘adventures’. Carla had noticed these marks and asked Eren several times what had happened. She got the same response every time. 

_“We were play fighting, and he got a bit too rough. Don’t worry though mum, he apologised.”_

Carla told him every time to stop playing with those boys but Grisha told her that it’s what boys do. _‘They’ll get rough with each other-it’s their way of bonding. Just like how girls play dolls together.’_ Grisha told her, smiling gently at his wife. But, Grisha was worried too. 

Grisha found out about the call the same day. Carla was tearing up, and her cheeks were flaming red, but she wasn’t sad. No, she was furious. How dare those boys touch her precious son? The child that she birthed? How did the situation get this bad in the first place? She wondered if she had gone wrong somewhere because the fact that her own son couldn’t go to her when he was being bullied was tearing her apart. Did he not feel comfortable enough with either her or Grisha? Still, she needed someone to rant to, someone to put her head on their shoulder while she tried to make it through the storm in her heart and brain. Grisha stepped through the door at the right time. 

Grisha was greeted with a loud and distressed voice as soon as he came in since Carla was storming up and down the corridor. She explained the phone call with a quick explanation, almost breathless by the end of it and Grisha was struck with grief. He figured after a while that Eren may be getting into fights because not once did their little boy talk about his ‘friends’. When his little blond friend was here, Eren would talk about everything they did together as soon as both parents were home. But now? He had shrunk in on himself. As if there was nothing he had to say… It was worrying. 

But what could he do when Eren wouldn’t speak? Always replying with a plastic smile and artificially bright eyes. It was like talking to a perfect doll. They should’ve done something sooner. They should’ve tried more options. Maybe introduce him to more people or do something to allow him to feel more open with his parents because what else were they there for? He was supposed to be able to go to them and talk about anything. Everything. But he couldn’t go to them when he was being bullied? Grisha wondered if it was because he was at work more often recently. He made a mental note to himself to make sure to talk to his boss about that. 

Both parents moved to the kitchen and spoke quietly about their next option. Carla wanted to go to the school and speak to those children’s parents about their behaviour. She also wanted to speak to the headteacher about any options they could take to prevent any of this in the future. Grisha decided to speak to Eren and to make sure Eren understood that his parents cared. So after coming to that conclusion, Grisha headed up the cream stairs to Eren’s room. 

Once he stood outside the grass-green door (Eren’s favourite colour) he knocked three times, knowing that it would get Eren’s attention quickly. A few seconds later, Eren pulled the door open, and Grisha’s eyes zeroed in the large bruise on his son’s collarbone. The dark brown eyebrows furrowed, causing the young boy to squirm under his attention. He hung his chin low on trying and covering the bruise without making it obvious. 

“Yes, Dad?” Eren asked, gaining the attention of the older man. 

“Oh, I just wanted to speak with you… Is that okay?” Grisha asked, smiling down at Eren. He wondered briefly if Eren would ever get taller than him since Eren was about to hit his teenage years. 

“That’s fine. Did I do something wrong? Because I know mum sent you here.” Eren laughed, opening his door for his dad to enter. The boy jumped onto his bed ( which was made- Carla _made_ sure of that) and patted the seat next to him for his dad. Grisha slowly seated himself on the bed as well, pushing himself back so he could rest his back against the cool wall. From this position, he could see Eren’s room perfectly. The grassy green door stood out against the white of the doorframe. The walls were blue and so was the curtains that hung beside the window edges. The furniture itself was white but decorated with blues and greens since both of these colours were Eren’s favourite. Carla went all out for him. The bed was in the corner furthest away from the door, made neatly with green sheets with green and blue pillows. Eren fiddled with one of his teddies, picking at the fluffy fur on its stomach. For a twelve-year-old, Eren’s room was neat. 

“Ah no, you didn’t. But I do need to talk to you,” Grisha started, pausing to breathe in deeply. “You know you can talk to me and your mother, right?” 

Eren paused, picking up on Grisha’s solemn tone instantly. He took a silent deep sigh, knowing where this conversation was going. 

“I know, Dad.” He answered, not looking his father in the eye. He knew that if he did, his determination would break. He couldn’t allow that to happen. 

“Then… Can you please tell me about what’s going on at school?” Grisha asked hesitantly. He didn’t want to push, but if a little shove is needed, then he’ll do it. Anything for his son, really. 

“It’s nothing… I really don’t want you and Mum to worry about it. I can handle it, I promise.” Eren sat the teddy in his lap, then turned his head to make eye contact with Grisha. Grisha inhaled slightly, once he saw the burning gold embers in his son’s eyes. For some reason, Eren was on fire. His soul was burning and Grisha didn’t know what to do. So he nodded and stood up from the bed. Before he moved any further, he held his son in a tight embrace, whispering german into his ear before he left the room. 

He shut the door slowly and tread down the stairs to Carla. Carla looked up at him expectantly, only to receive a small head shake in return. She sighed, and cradled her head in her palms. She needed to try a different route then. 

The next day after work, she headed to Eren’s school after the bell had gone. She knew Eren was already on his way home by now, so there wouldn’t be a chance of him bumping into her now. Carla walked through the corridors of the school, her anger building more and more as she went through the same rooms her son was being beaten and bullied. She reached the end and came up to the doors that lead into the headteacher's room, she knocked twice before letting herself in. Several other parents were in the room when she scanned it with her molten gold eyes, anger rolling off of her in waves. The headteacher was a tall black woman, her hair tied up into a short black ponytail at the back of her head. Her dark brown eyes were stern, but her lips twitched into a small smile once she saw Carla. 

“Mrs Jaeger, please, take a seat.” She said, her words formed with a slight welsh accent. Carla nodded and sat in the seat she offered. She bit the inside of her lips to stop herself from saying any biting remarks to the others in the room. 

“So, we’re all here today about a recent incident that happened. Or, rather, has been reoccurring. Eren Jaeger, a student in year eight has been going home with more bruises than he came in with. That’s not something I tolerate at my school. From ‘accidents’ that have occurred previously, I know that the children of the parents in this room have been responsible for a few of those bruises.” The headteacher spoke, her voice filling the room up with tension. She turned her dark brown eyes on the parents sitting in front of her, almost glaring them down. 

A few of them looked shocked and appalled at their children’s actions, while others looked disgusted at the thought of someone reprimanding their children in the first place. A man in his late thirties spoke up. 

“How do you know it’s our children? I haven’t heard him get in any trouble recently.” He tilted his head while he spoke, a worried frown on his face. 

“Because I have had more than one teacher speak to me about the incidents in the playground. Your child’s name must of come up more than twice, Mr Howard.” 

The man shook his head, guilt forming on his face as he realised his son’s actions. 

“That doesn’t mean anything, though,” Another lady spoke up, one with curly auburn hair and a sunburn that stretched across her chest. “Children fight all the time. My little Richard wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She spoke with perfect pronunciation, though her tone came across as haughty. 

“Has your son come home with bruises for the past couple of months? I don’t mean once or twice a month. I mean once or twice a week. I don’t know about you, but my son has and I refuse to let it happen any longer. As a mother, you need to know how to control your child. The fact that he is going around being a little terror to other children is signs that you haven’t shown your son- ‘Richard’- what kindness is. It shows too, because, from the way how you speak, I know you don’t have any of that either.” Carla barged in, sneering at the other mother. 

The lady gasped, covering her mouth with a manicured hand. Her eyes looked comically wide since her lashes made them look a lot larger. Carla had to admit, her make-up artist was talented. They managed to cover up her inner demon. 

“Mrs Jaeger, please.” The headteacher cut in, shaking her head. 

Carla sat back in the chair, huffing out a breath. She allowed the headteacher to continue. 

“Now, what I wanted to say was, if this sort of behaviour continues, then I will be forced to take action personally. For now, I will leave it to their form tutors to take care of what punishments they will get. I also need you, as their parents to stop this sort of action against other students because it’s this kind of behaviour that ruins the lives of others. I will not allow that at my school, which is – shall I remind you- one of the best in the country. Do _not_ shame that. That is all.” The headteacher stood up and shook hands with the parents in the room. Once she got to Carla, she smiled sorrowly.  
  


“I’m so sorry about this Mrs Jaeger. I will do anything in my power to make sure it stops. Please, if you need any help, I’ll do the best I can.” 

“Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have heard about the severity of this situation at all. Eren doesn’t talk about it, you see.” Carla smiled weakly in return, but the head teacher nodded her head. 

“Don’t worry about it. That can happen. He might just be scared to mention it, don’t take that as a sign of your bad parenting, okay?” She put a hand on Carla’s shoulder and patted. 

“Yes… I see. Thank you, Mrs Johnson.” Carla didn’t want to stay here any longer, she just needed to get to her son. However, Mrs Johnson seemed to be sincere enough. 

“You’re welcome. And please, call me Melaine.” 

Carla took her leave after that, making sure to give that snooty lady a death stare as she walked past. She remembered her face, just in case you know. She stopped off at the shop near the house and bought red velvet cupcakes and brownies for Eren. He deserves a treat for all of this. Carla got out of the car and picked up her bag and the shopping bags before pushing her way through the door. 

“Eren! Come help your mother!” She called, kicking the door shut with her foot, the shoe hanging off of her feet. Soon, she could hear the pitter patter of Eren’s small feet hitting the floorboards. He reached the bottom of the stairs and stared at the orange bags from Sainsbury’s. 

“What did you get?” He asked, peeking into the bags as he took them from her. 

“Some goodies for you and me.” She laughed, kicking her shoes off so she could pick them up and put them in the shoe rack. Eren’s eyes brightened a little before he ran off into the kitchen. Carla smiled at the sight and vowed to herself that she won’t let her child get hurt anymore. 

But the storm hadn’t hit them yet. No, the worst was yet to come. 

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour! It is I! No, I haven't disappeared, nor have I given up on this story! I'm just very lazy and I apologise. I do have an excuse-I had exams that were very important so... Yeah! But still, I hope you enjoy this new chapter. I edited this myself because it was quite late when I posted it, so I didn't want to interrupt anyone for it, so please tell me if there are any mistakes you feel that I should fix! 
> 
> Also, I think my writing style has changed again... I don't know though, it's been a while since I posted something. Anywhoo! I hope you enjoy! I have a long holiday, so there's a chance of me posting more things. No promises though.  
> Love you guys! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Well, what do you think? I'd really appreciate a comment or two about your thoughts on the first chapter. But I hope you liked it and I hope you'll stick around for more! Thanks for reading. ♡✧( ु•⌄• )
> 
> I'm on Tumblr! (shortnerdyteddy) come and say hi! ♡


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